Lord Murugan waits but PMX hesitates: When the talk doesn’t match the walk
By Johan Abu Bakar
FOR three years in a row, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has skipped the Thaipusam festival in Batu Caves.
Once could be excused, twice might raise questions but three times? That’s a pattern. And it’s a glaring contradiction for a leader who preaches inclusivity under his MADANI government.
In 2023, Anwar was scheduled to attend but cancelled at the last minute due to illness. In 2024, he was absent without explanation. This year, he visited Batu Caves four days before the festival.
His social media post about the visit was filled with the usual rhetoric on Malaysia’s multiracial harmony yet on the one day that truly mattered, he was missing.
He could only wish from afar – via social media.
Compare this with ex-PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak who had no qualms attending Thaipusam during his premiership and more importantly, showing respect to the occasion. He wore traditional Indian attire – a kurta, not baju Melayu and songkok.
When Anwar showed up at Batu Caves on Friday, he wore a blue baju Melayu and songkok, although granted he came directly from Friday prayers. The least he could have done was make an effort to suit the occasion.
FOR three years in a row, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has skipped the Thaipusam festival in Batu Caves.
Once could be excused, twice might raise questions but three times? That’s a pattern. And it’s a glaring contradiction for a leader who preaches inclusivity under his MADANI government.
In 2023, Anwar was scheduled to attend but cancelled at the last minute due to illness. In 2024, he was absent without explanation. This year, he visited Batu Caves four days before the festival.
His social media post about the visit was filled with the usual rhetoric on Malaysia’s multiracial harmony yet on the one day that truly mattered, he was missing.
He could only wish from afar – via social media.
Thaipusam bukan sekadar sebuah perayaan, tetapi menjadi simbol ketabahan, keazaman, dan pengorbanan dalam menempuh ujian kehidupan bagi penganut Hindu. Ia turut mencerminkan kekuatan dalaman dan disiplin mereka dalam mendepani tantangan.
Tidak hanya itu, Thaipusam turut menyerlahkan semangat perpaduan dalam kepelbagaian dalam konteks kenegaraan. Ia menjadi bukti bagaimana masyarakat boleh bersatu dalam suasana yang penuh dengan rasa hormat, kebersamaan dan kekeluargaan. Tatka...
See moreCompare this with ex-PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak who had no qualms attending Thaipusam during his premiership and more importantly, showing respect to the occasion. He wore traditional Indian attire – a kurta, not baju Melayu and songkok.
When Anwar showed up at Batu Caves on Friday, he wore a blue baju Melayu and songkok, although granted he came directly from Friday prayers. The least he could have done was make an effort to suit the occasion.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during his working visit to the Batu Caves temple on Feb 7 (Image credit: Anwar Ibrahim/Facebook)
His absence becomes even harder to justify when we see how other national figures have carried themselves. Just days ago, the Selangor ruler attended a Chinese New Year event at the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist temple in Jenjarom.
By showing up, the head of Islam at the state level has sent a clear message of religious harmony. If the Sultan himself can attend a Buddhist event without controversy, what exactly is stopping Anwar from showing up at Batu Caves on Thaipusam day?
This is even more ironic given the government’s recent decision to drop proposed guidelines for Muslims attending non-Muslim events.
On one hand, the Cabinet rightly recognised that Malaysians, including Muslims, have long co-existed without needing official rules dictating how they interact.
But in the other, Anwar’s own actions tell a different story. If Thaipusam is an event that Muslims can attend freely, why does the country’s leader seem to be avoiding it?
If this is about political optics, it would suggest a worrying level of insecurity from Anwar. It implies that despite his decades of branding himself as a reformist, he is still looking over his shoulder, afraid of how his own support base might react.
This is indeed a dangerous message – hat attending a Thaipusam event is politically costly for a Malaysian prime minister.
Leaders do not just lead through policies and speeches – they lead by presence. Anwar has yet to explain why he repeatedly skips Thaipusam.
But as long as he continues to avoid it, one question will linger: Is PMX afraid of Lord Murugan, the Hindu deity venerated at the Batu Caves temple or is he just afraid of what his own supporters might think? – Feb 11, 2025
His absence becomes even harder to justify when we see how other national figures have carried themselves. Just days ago, the Selangor ruler attended a Chinese New Year event at the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist temple in Jenjarom.
By showing up, the head of Islam at the state level has sent a clear message of religious harmony. If the Sultan himself can attend a Buddhist event without controversy, what exactly is stopping Anwar from showing up at Batu Caves on Thaipusam day?
This is even more ironic given the government’s recent decision to drop proposed guidelines for Muslims attending non-Muslim events.
On one hand, the Cabinet rightly recognised that Malaysians, including Muslims, have long co-existed without needing official rules dictating how they interact.
But in the other, Anwar’s own actions tell a different story. If Thaipusam is an event that Muslims can attend freely, why does the country’s leader seem to be avoiding it?
If this is about political optics, it would suggest a worrying level of insecurity from Anwar. It implies that despite his decades of branding himself as a reformist, he is still looking over his shoulder, afraid of how his own support base might react.
This is indeed a dangerous message – hat attending a Thaipusam event is politically costly for a Malaysian prime minister.
Leaders do not just lead through policies and speeches – they lead by presence. Anwar has yet to explain why he repeatedly skips Thaipusam.
But as long as he continues to avoid it, one question will linger: Is PMX afraid of Lord Murugan, the Hindu deity venerated at the Batu Caves temple or is he just afraid of what his own supporters might think? – Feb 11, 2025
Anwar Ibrahim's Kryptonite is the allegation that he is a closet "Liberal".
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely untrue...he is more of a Jihadi...